Member Introduction

[arnolddeleon]

I just found this thread. I'm Arnold, married 45 year old w/ a teen that is five months away from getting her permit and getting most of her driving experience in an EV. We've been driving electric for over 11 years. I traded in a silver 2002 RAV4-EV w/ over 124,000 miles on the original NiMh batteries for a pearl white 2012 5 days ago. Two years ago we become a two EV household w/ a 2011 Nissan LEAF. We still have a gas guzzler, a 2002 Prius that stays covered and plugged in (for the 12V battery) most of the time. We have 13.5 kW of solar panels on our house in Cupertino, CA.

I already hate the reverse beeping in the car (I should have followed my instinct when I was picking up the car and had them disable it then). I don't understand how this is suppose to be a safety feature. I find it so distracting. I've discovered the charge timer bugs. Why can't we get a simple kWh or %SOC readout?

arnold

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome to the group Arnold!

 

[waidy]

Hi Arnold, congrats on your new RAV. Since you have a LEAf, it is highly possible that you have a Blink charging station. Please read http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=10749

 

[arnolddeleon]

Thanks Waidy, very familiar with that thread. I do have a Blink and I called them and asked. The person said there should be no problem but I don't trust them. I'm currently charging using a Coulomb CT500 (that I purchased used 1+ years ago as a spare when the Blink looked like it was not going to be reliable). When I get a chance I will test using the Blink but I will check the temperature.

arnold

 

[user 340]

I'm a new member and new RAV4 EV owner:

Tom Greene
Male, married
53 years old
Astronomer by profession
SF Bay Area (near Redwood City)
Also own Chevy Volt (my wife's)

I'm a pretty avid bicyclist and not much of a car guy but do appreciate efficient vehicles. My first car was a year 2000 Honda Insight that I bought used when I was 44, and I just sold it this morning (about 55 mpg lifetime). I got pretty interested in EVs about a year ago when Volts and Leafs were getting common on Bay Area roads, and I decided to go electric last fall after calculating that a modest photovoltaic solar power system could power a car and most of our house. I was smitten with the RAV4 EV when I test drove it last October, but our first EV purchase was for my wife and she wanted a car without range limitations. Chevy Volt to the rescue last December. I also met Dsinned, our forum moderator then, and he raved about his RAV4 EV (as well as his Volt). Our photovoltaic system became operational in April, and we have produced nearly 1 MWh of power since then. Last week I decided to go for the RAV4 EV after getting a tour of the Tesla factory (although I don't really have model S envy - too fancy for me), and Dsinned gave me some great advice and encouragement. I picked up my Blizzard Pearl baby this past Saturday June 1, VIN 633 (last 3 digits). My Leviton 40A EVSE just arrived and will hopefully be installed early next week.

The info and tone of this forum are great. I have already learned a whole lot and look forward to contributing in the future.

 

[AvLegends]

I'm a new member and new RAV4 EV owner:

Tom Greene
Male, married
53 years old
Astronomer by profession
SF Bay Area (near Redwood City)
Also own Chevy Volt (my wife's)

I'm a pretty avid bicyclist and not much of a car guy but do appreciate efficient vehicles. My first car was a year 2000 Honda Insight that I bought used when I was 44, and I just sold it this morning (about 55 mpg lifetime). I got pretty interested in EVs about a year ago when Volts and Leafs were getting common on Bay Area roads, and I decided to go electric last fall after calculating that a modest photovoltaic solar power system could power a car and most of our house. I was smitten with the RAV4 EV when I test drove it last October, but our first EV purchase was for my wife and she wanted a car without range limitations. Chevy Volt to the rescue last December. I also met Dsinned, our forum moderator then, and he raved about his RAV4 EV (as well as his Volt). Our photovoltaic system became operational in April, and we have produced nearly 1 MWh of power since then. Last week I decided to go for the RAV4 EV after getting a tour of the Tesla factory (although I don't really have model S envy - too fancy for me), and Dsinned gave me some great advice and encouragement. I picked up my Blizzard Pearl baby this past Saturday June 1, VIN 633 (last 3 digits). My Leviton 40A EVSE just arrived and will hopefully be installed early next week.

The info and tone of this forum are great. I have already learned a whole lot and look forward to contributing in the future.

Welcome Tom! BTW... how big is your PV system?

 

[user 340]

Welcome Tom! BTW... how big is your PV system?

Thanks AvLegends. I currently have a 3.2 kW PV system (13 panels w/Solar Edge Optimizers + Solar Edge Inverter) and it is currently producing more power than we use in both our house and our Volt. We have limited roof space, but I think that I can fit 4 more panels (1 kW) to help out with the new RAV4.

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome Tom! BTW... how big is your PV system?

Thanks AvLegends. I currently have a 3.2 kW PV system (13 panels w/Solar Edge Optimizers + Solar Edge Inverter) and it is currently producing more power than we use in both our house and our Volt. We have limited roof space, but I think that I can fit 4 more panels (1 kW) to help out with the new RAV4.

Thanks! We talked to REC who recommended the Solar Edge system. Would really like to get the Enphase system as there are shading issues and the GF (homeowner) doesn't want the inverter mounted anywhere on the wall.

 

[Dsinned]

Welcome to the forum Tom!

Glad to hear I was of some influence, and we certainly have a lot in common with respect to EVs and PVs. Btw, I recently resized my PV, which is an Enphase Microinverter based system. It now consists of 17 - 250W panels adding up to 4.25kW (dc) in a single rooftop array. I have no worries whatsoever in charging both my EVs as often as I wish, while still generating a net surplus to the grid. I'm already up to about $45 in "credits" from PG&E after only a couple months of solar production. There have been more than a few days so far this Spring where my system is getting up to nearly 90% overall conversion efficiency. Phenomenal!

I think Tom is being quite modest in his new member introduction here. I believe he has one of the most scientific jobs in all of Silicon Valley. Afterall, he works for NASA! But, what I am really envious of is his recent tour of the TESLA factory over in Fremont! :mrgreen:

 

[vips]

Hello All,
My introduction:

Name: Vipul Doshi
Age: 45
Profession: Software Management
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Personal: Wife and 2 kids (6 years and 7 months)

We were in the car market earlier this year and was not even considering an electric car. Was set on the Avalon Hybrid but then drove the Leaf (company car) over a weekend. My wife and I both liked the driving experience and interior space but were concern about range and truck space. After doing some research on Rav4 EV and reading this forum, bought a silver one in early April.
Have 3000 miles on it and extremely pleased with the purchase so far.

I am now in the PV market and need close to 9 kw system to produce roughly 12500 kwh (AC). Will probably go with LG 280W and enphase micro-inverters. My monthly EVSE usage shows that I am using 600 kwh/month.

Look forward to a Bay Area forum meet at some point!

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome to the group Vipul! Boy this group is growing!! That's great.

 

[user 162]

Craig here, I wanted to introduce myself as well. I tend to be sporadic about the forum, but not the RAV4!!

Silver color - license plate = LUVD 1

I am (also in Menlo Park, Woody, I may have seen you one day at Bay and Marsh...yes/no?) almost 65, married, two gone "kids". Grew up in So. Cal.(Newport Beach), but seldom go there any more. We also have a Camry Hybrid, which I loved until the RAV...

I have been a sailor, potter, foot doctor, and my new career is singer songwriter. ;-) (Anyone interested go to YouTube - capodx2).

Likes about the RAV4 - no emissions, basically free (solar). Acceleration --> (played with a 911 Porsche one day, will never forget the look on the guys face - "How the hell is this RAV keeping up with me?") LOVE that I can go to SF(or SJ), noodle around and still have plenty of electrons to get home again.

Less than happy with the seats, center console and the stiff ride. Have yet to see the 120 miles that it had when it left the dealers, but I decided I would drive this car like any other, and I will be sure not to get behind Waidy.

Overall I am a very happy camper.

Happy to answer any questions or let anyone take a test drive. Several neighbors have done so already.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Have yet to see the 120 miles that it had when it left the dealers

Welcome aboard, and don't worry about the GOM. Your car will still go as far as Waidy's if you try!!!

I intend to enter the 200 mile club during my car rally at the end of the month.

 

[Royland]

Hiya,

New Blizzard Pearl owner here.

Sold my 2008 BMW 335 Stage 2 coupe and bought a brand new Rav4 EV. I miss the speed of the old car, but looove the new Rav4!

Had slightly bad experiences with Fremont Toyota and Stevens Creek Toyota. Went to City Toyota the following week, had a great experience, so we bought the car. I'm starting a new job in SF later this week and am looking at a fairly nasty commute, so I wanted to get in the HOV lane. Didn't realize how long it took to the sticker though! I still don't even have my license plates.

We can't go solar right now since we still rent, but plan to go solar when we buy our home so that we can offset more of our footprint. Been seeing oodles of Tesla S sedans around town, but have yet to spot another Rav4 EV. Anyway, don't let the tattoos sway you. I'm a nice guy. Give me a wave if you see me.

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome to the group Royland! Still waiting for my plates and stickers and I got my 2012 Mar. 24th. The CA DMV wheels turn pretty slooooooooooooow! :roll:

 

[arnolddeleon]

FWIW I had environmental (vanity) plates on my previous vehicle and my dealer (Toyota of Palo Alto) handled the transfer. I bought the car on May 24th and I received my registration yesterday.

BTW since I knew what the plate number was going to be and I knew the VIN I could use the DMV reminder service (I would try adding it to my reminders) to tell when the DMV had processed the paperwork. Once I knew they had the processed it I could send away for my clean air (car pool) decals.

When we got our LEAF a couple of years ago I heard of widely varying lengths of time from purchase to plates and decals. Apparently the dealer is a big factor. Some dealers process their paperwork dramatically faster than others.

arnold

 

[miimura]

Looks like I didn't put my info here before.

Mike, 43, married, 4yo daughter, 13yo male Welsh Corgi. BSME Cal Poly SLO. I've lived in West San Jose, Cupertino, Los Altos since I was 4.

I've been on the forum since the beginning of the year and got my RAV at the end of April. The story of my Buying Adventure is here. I've also been geeking out on electric rate calculations as you can see here. I'd like to get a home energy monitoring system so I can separate the solar generation and EVSE usage from the rest of the house and do more what-if calculations - like what if I didn't have solar? How much would my bill go up with EV charging?

I'm loving the car, even with its little quirks. Luckily my car has not skipped a scheduled charge yet.

 

[seahang]

Hello all, long-time reader, first-time poster. Thanks for all the great info; it definitely helped me make my decision to buy. Got my Blizzard Pearl from Toyota Sunnyvale in May, along with a Leviton 40 amp charger. Through the first 1300 miles I'm averaging 3.5 mi/kWh, driving about 35 miles a day and charging every other day to normal capacity, exclusively during off-peak hours. Zero problems thus far, knock on wood. I got my HOV stickers within 3 weeks of purchase, and since most of my driving is on 101 and 85 during rush hour, HOV access makes a HUGE difference. I love this car!

I still have yet to see another Rav4 EV in the wild, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled. For a guy who owned an Accord for 12 years, it's a fun experience owning something so unique!

 

[AvLegends]

FWIW I had environmental (vanity) plates on my previous vehicle and my dealer (Toyota of Palo Alto) handled the transfer. I bought the car on May 24th and I received my registration yesterday.

BTW since I knew what the plate number was going to be and I knew the VIN I could use the DMV reminder service (I would try adding it to my reminders) to tell when the DMV had processed the paperwork. Once I knew they had the processed it I could send away for my clean air (car pool) decals.

When we got our LEAF a couple of years ago I heard of widely varying lengths of time from purchase to plates and decals. Apparently the dealer is a big factor. Some dealers process their paperwork dramatically faster than others.

arnold

Yeah... my dealer, DCH Toyota of Oxnard is known for their slow DMV paperwork processing. When I bought my PIP the plates came in about 2 weeks. Here I'm going almost 3 months for plates... no big deal though with dealer plate cards people still think I just got a new car!

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome Seahang!